Representatives from Arab countries are convening in Jeddah to explore the possibility of Syria’s return to the fold after years of tension with Damascus.

Ministers and top officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, along with Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, are meeting at the request of Saudi Arabia to discuss Syria’s suspension from the Arab League, which was imposed when the country was embroiled in a war in 2011, and many Arab nations cut ties with Syria.

This meeting comes after Syria’s foreign minister made an unannounced visit to Jeddah on Wednesday, marking the first such visit since the start of the war.

Faisal Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart discussed “the necessary steps” to return Damascus to the Arab League, according to a Saudi statement on Wednesday.

The discussions aim to reconcile differences over Syria and explore the steps necessary to bring Damascus back into the Arab League.

The recent Arab rapprochement could provoke a reaction from Western countries that are still reeling from the news of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

This development highlights how the Iranian-Saudi deal may pave the way for a settlement of other crises in the Middle East.

Saudi media outlets said the nine-nation talks come after Syria’s foreign minister visited in Jeddah on an unannounced trip on Wednesday, the first since the outbreak of the war.

Source: Al-Manar